The Fairleigh Dickinson coach visited his longtime pal, Mark Morse, the coach at the Globe Institute of Technology, to check out a player Morse asked him to see.

Kinu Rochford had no Division I scholarship offers, and when Vetrone arrived, he wasn’t overly impressed. But, the coach had a spot available and he liked Rochford’s energy, ultimately deciding he would be a good player to have in practice.

“I thought this kid would be a backup and just play a couple minutes,” Vetrone said. “I wasn’t thinking he could start. All of a sudden, he comes here and he’s taking people’s jobs. It’s incredible. It’s the story of a kid who just wanted an opportunity and he made the most of it.”

Last season provided opportunity, but only modest production, as Rochford averaged 9.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. Since shifting to center in his senior season, however, the 6-foot-6 Brooklyn native has morphed into one of the standout players in the Northeast Conference, leading Fairleigh Dickinson with 16.8 points on 57.9-percent shooting and leading the conference with 10.1 rebounds.

Against VCU on Dec. 29, he became the first player in Division I this season to have at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in a game. A few days later, the Knights (6-9, 1-2) doubled last season’s three-win total.

“I don’t think I’m a genius,” Vetrone said. “I never thought he’d give me 17 [points] and 10 [rebounds]. This wasn’t like something I saw. He was a raw guy that grew up around the parks in Brooklyn and that’s where he learned his craft.”

Rochford finally honed his craft this summer, with some advice from his coach.

“When he first got here, he was really challenging and we bumped heads,” Vetrone said. “I said, ‘This isn’t like you’re playing at Dyckman [Park], showing up on the train, going to eat at Burger King and you’re coming to hoop.’ He wasn’t totally getting that when he first got here. He thought he could just turn the light on when he gets to games. The way he responds now is totally different. He’s worked so hard.”

Rochford grew up in Crown Heights and played at James Madison High School. As an undersized big man, Rochford uses an overpowering Charles Barkley approach, while running on a motor with no off-switch.

“Probably since I was 7 I had a knack for the rebound because I couldn’t really shoot,” Rochford said. “My hands were too big and I wasn’t comfortable shooting, so I tried to rebound as much as possible. I know my role and I’m content. It might not be the prettiest, but it’s effective.”

Vetrone said he thinks the 22-year-old could be a stand-up comic, someone who would act the same around the president or a pauper.

With his outgoing personality, Rochford has embraced his role as a vocal leader, and even more so, his visibility on the Madison, N.J., campus home to roughly 2,600 undergraduates. He regularly stops random students to talk about an upcoming game or whatever is in his head that moment.

He has seen enough bad things in his life — friends going to jail or getting shot — and he stresses positivity.

“I talk to anybody I can meet. I figure you live that day, so why not meet people?” Rochford said. “I know everybody doesn’t have a good day all the time, but maybe after a joke they’re not thinking about the stress they’re going through. I just try and make people happy. Even if it’s just one time in a day, it changes your world.”

The coach knows he was lucky, almost accidentally finding an all-conference talent, but Rochford is where he thought he would be. And he has no intentions of quietly fading away.

“The one thing that motivates him — I know this, he’s told me — he does not want to go back home to Brooklyn a failure,” Vetrone said. “He wants to get a degree, wants to be an all-conference player, wants to help FDU be the best it can be. You know what it’s like coaching a guy like that? I wish all my guys were that way. He’s been a treasure. He’s everything I’d ever want as a coach.”

Local Power Poll

1. Rutgers

Record: 11-3, 2-1

Up next: Tonight (8 p.m.) vs. Cincinnati

2. Seton Hall

Record: 12-4, 1-2

Up next: Tomorrow (Noon) vs. Providence

3. Stony Brook

Record: 11-4, 2-0

Up next: Today (2 p.m.) vs. Hartford

4. St. John’s

Record: 9-6, 1-2

Up next: Today (11 a.m.) vs. Georgetown

5. Iona

Record: 10-6, 4-1

Up next: Tomorrow (2 p.m.) vs. Canisius

6. Wagner

Record: 9-5, 3-0

Up next: Today (4 p.m.) vs. St. Francis Brooklyn

7. Columbia

Record: 8-6, 0-0

Up next: Jan. 19 (3 p.m.) at Cornell

8. Fordham

Record: 5-11, 1-0

Up next: Tomorrow (1 p.m.) vs. UMass

9. St. Peter’s

Record: 6-8, 1-3

Up next: Tomorrow (2 p.m.) at Siena

10. LIU Brooklyn

Record: 5-10, 0-3

Up next: Today (4:30 p.m.) vs. Mount St. Mary’s at Barclays Center

Games of the Week

St. John’s vs. Georgetown, Today, 11 a.m.

The inconsistent Red Storm take on a ranked team for the second straight Saturday and are catching the Hoyas coming off of two straight losses, including a 28-point embarrassment against Pittsburgh. Freshman center Chris Obepka, averaging 5.1 blocks a game, only needs one block to set a St. John’s single-season record.

Cincinnati at Rutgers, Tonight, 8 p.m.

The Scarlet Knights, winners of two straight under the new, mild-mannered Mike Rice, will face a 21st-ranked Bearcats team that has lost two straight. Rutgers’ leading scorer Eli Carter, coming off an eight-point outing in a win over St. John’s, responded with 18 points after his only other single-digit scoring output this season.

Iona vs. Canisius, Tomorrow, 2 p.m.,

The Gaels were supposed to contend for their second straight MAAC title this season, but the Golden Griffins have come out of nowhere to become a legitimate threat in a wide-open conference. Iona, winners of four straight, are seventh in the nation in scoring (81.6), led by the country’s third-leading scorer, Lamont “Momo” Jones (22.9).